The Seattle Seahawks came out in force to condemn Thursday night games after Richard Sherman was lost for the season in Week 10. Now looking ahead to his own Thursday night game, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wants the NFL to get rid of these mid-week contests.
Ben Roethlisberger joins gang of NFL players railing on TNF when asked on weekly radio show about difficulties of Thurs turnaround: pic.twitter.com/1qw6da9oTw
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 13, 2017
It’s hard to argue against Roethlisberger’s logic. Football is a brutally violent sport. Especially these days. The athletes playing the game are all of the highest quality — veritable fine-tuned machines of physical mayhem — who run and hit faster and harder than ever before.
Even with a full week in between games, it’s a brutal grind every season.
Then throw in a short week, when players are getting just three days to not only rest their battered bodies but also prepare their minds for a new game plan, and it’s very tough. That’s a huge reason why so many Thursday night games are just crap to watch. It’s hard to execute sharp game plans when you’re still exhausted.
The NFL won’t likely make any changes. There is money to be made, and fans still do tune in to watch, even if it’s an inferior product. Still, the league should shut these games down, especially if it wants anyone to take it seriously about player safety.